After two gold medals at this weekend's Anadia World Challenge Cup, Eddie Penev is determined to branch out as an all-arounder to improve his chances of making the U.S. team to the upcoming world championships. Pictured: Penev won floor exercise in Anadia over teammate Sam Mikulak and Olympic finalist Tomas González (Chile).

After two gold medals at this weekend's Anadia World Challenge Cup in Portugal, Eddie Penev is determined to branch out as an all-arounder to improve his chances of making the U.S. team to the upcoming world championships.

Penev was the most successful male gymnast in Anadia, where he was the only double champion in the men's competition. In Saturday's finals, Penev won floor exercise, topping Olympians Sam Mikulak (U.S.) and Tomas González (Chile). On Sunday, he grabbed a second gold on vault, showing the best combination of difficulty and clean landings.

"Quite honestly, I cannot say I expected the golds but I certainly trained for it!" Penev told IG on Tuesday. "Vault I would say was a little unexpected, just because there were some great vaulters out there with even bigger vaults than mine. Floor I knew was going to be challenge, because Sam did a phenomenal routine that was going to be hard to beat."

Penev, who was sixth on floor exercise at the 2013 Anadia World Challenge Cup, said he was pleased overall with his performance this year in Portugal. In Anadia he also finished 10th on high bar in qualification, .2 away from qualification.

"Overall I thought I had a very solid performance," said Penev, who graduated from Stanford University in 2013. "Missing out on the high bar final by a very small margin was maybe the only small regret. As for the other events, I'm happy with the level at which I was able to execute my routines over two days of competition. It definitely gives me confidence moving forward."

Penev grew up in New York, but was born in Sofia to two former Bulgarian national team gymnasts. Penev represented Bulgaria for several years, making finals on floor exercise at the 2009 European Championships and 2010 World Championships. Prior to the 2012 Olympic Games, he decided to try his hand at making the U.S. national team. In 2013, he was an alternate to the U.S. men's team to the world championships in Antwerp.

The powerful Penev has had most of his success on floor and vault. In NCAA competition, he won two national titles on vault and one on floor exercise. In 2013, he won the U.S. national title on vault, and in 2014 he won both floor and vault at the U.S. Winter Cup in Las Vegas.

However, he said he hopes to show his capabilities on the other events, in particularly pushing himself to become a "pommels guy" to help the U.S. squad.

"My other events are going really well!" he said. "High bar I was hoping to show a bit more difficulty than I did in Anadia, but it'll definitely be there at championships! I'm also really determined to be a pommels guy. We could definitely use another one as a team and I'm making a real push to be one of those guys in the mix on horse. I will also be pushing the all-around because you really need to these days, given our depth."

Penev will turn 24 on Aug. 18, a few days before the U.S. championships begin in Pittsburgh. He said he plans to also add some upgrades to his routines before then.

"My goal for championships is to first and foremost hit my sets and go 12 for 12," he said. "If that happens I definitely believe that I stand a good chance of being in the mix for this year's world team. Being an alternate for 2013's team certainly gave me confidence and showed me that this is something that is realistic for me, if I do what I am capable of."

The show will feature celebrities performing typica gymnastics skills like tumbling and trampoline, but also circus arts, including trapeze. The judging panel will evaluate the routines out of 10.

"I know what it’s like to strive for that perfect 10!" Comaneci said. "Your heart is pounding and your palms are sweaty, but when you step out onto that floor, or mount the bars or beam, you have to perform like your life depends on it. The celebrities are going to be put through a fitness, gymnastic and acrobatic training regime that’s like nothing they'll ever have experienced, and I can’t wait to see the results!"

Experienced coaches will prepare the celebrities for the demanding contest. The show will also feature mentors like Beth Tweddle, Great Britain's most successful gymnast to date, and performances from gymnasts like Tweddle and Smith. Tweddle was the the champion of the 2013 edition of "Dancing on Ice."

Smith, who won the dancing show "Strictly Come Dancing," said he expects to see the celebrities putting out very competitive performances.

"When you commit to something you’ve got to do it because you want to win," he said. "It’s got to take over your life, your every waking moment. I also know how scary it is to be on a live Saturday night entertainment show, so I’ll definitely have a bit of empathy with the celebs on that!”

Natalie Vaculik told IG that she hopes her performance at this week's Canadian championships will lead her toward this summer's Commonwealth Games and this fall's world championships.

Vaculik is the defending all-around silver medalist at the Canadian championships, which begin Tuesday in Ottawa.

"My goals for nationals are to focus on my routines and perform them to the best of my ability," she said. "This meet is a stepping stone for those bigger meets to come. Showing my best routines and gaining confidence and experience will definitely help me looking forward."

Vaculik at the 2014 Tournament of Masters in Cottbus

Vaculik, who is coached by 1980 Olympic all-around champion Yelena Davydova and Valery Yahchybekov at Gemini Gymnastics in Oshawa, has enjoyed domestic and international success since she placed second all-around at last year's Canadian Championships.

She placed fifth all-around in the Masters division at the Elite Gym Massilia competition in Marseille, France, last November; first on uneven bars at the Elite Canada meet in February; and fifth on uneven bars and eighth on balance beam at the Tournament of Masters/Challenge Cup in Cottbus, Germany, in March.

With an eye on future international competitions, Vaculik said she is eager to begin her collegiate career in the U.S., competing for the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga.

"The coaches at Georgia really impressed me," said Vaculik of her decision. "I connected with them right away and they made me feel like part of the team from the start. I also like the university campus and the support system provided for the athletes. It feels very much like home to me."

Vaculik said 2012 Canadian Olympian Brittany Rogers, who competes for Georgia, also influenced her decision.

"I am very happy that I will be joining Brittany on the ‘Gym Dogs' as a fellow Canadian," she said. "There is a special bond between all Canadians when they compete in the NCAA. I believe that this bond makes the teams even stronger."

Although Vaculik has not confirmed when she will enroll at the university, she said she does not intend to blend her international and collegiate careers as has her older sister, 2012 Olympian Kristina Vaculik. Kristina enrolled at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., and then took time off to prepare at home for the 2012 Games in London. Following London, she resumed her collegiate career at Stanford.

"Kristina was very successful in merging the two careers together and I am very proud of her for doing that," said Natalie, who is considering a major in business. "When I begin my collegiate career, however, I will focus only on that. In the meantime, my focus will be on representing Canada internationally. "

Vaculik said she has been preparing for her transition to collegiate gymnastics for quite some time.

"In the gym, I reduce my reps and focus on quality over quantity," she said. "When I competed as part of a team (at Elite Gym Massilia) I provided support and encouragement to my team members, like I have seen in the NCAA. I will continue to do this in the future as part of any team."

Vaculik said she is ready for the unique challenges she will face a student-athlete, too.

"I believe that my years of training combined with my workload at school have provided me with many tools to cope with the academic and athletic demands of university," she told IG. "I am excited and confident that I will thrive in this environment."

Australian national team head coach Peggy Liddick told IG that, while defending senior all-around champion Madelaine Leydin is not at full strength, several gymnasts should contend for titles at the Australian championships that begin Thursday in Melbourne.

"Honestly, it will be a challenge for Maddi to retain her title," said Liddick of Leydin, who has been troubled by a foot injury for the past several months. "I don't expect that she will be at full strength, although she is giving it a good go in training. I would not put that kind of pressure on her, and we spoke about this last week."

Liddick said she still looks for a steady if conservative performance from Leydin in Melbourne.

"I would expect Maddi to debut her new bars routine and perform consistently on the other apparatuses, as best she can, with the limited training she has been forced to do," Liddick said. "I would not risk any further injuries by trying to outperform her limited physical condition."

Georgia-Rose Brown

Two-time Olympian Lauren Mitchell, the 2010 world champion on floor exercise, is expected to compete on three events in Melbourne, Liddick said.

"Lauren is going from strength to strength each week," Liddick said. "I just spent last week with her in Perth and she has surpassed my expectations as to where she is, both physically and performance wise. I would expect her to debut her new beam routine and a world-class floor routine. Her vault is coming back strong as well."

2013 Australian all-around bronze medalist Georgia Godwin has had limited preparation time for the championships since she injured her ankle in training prior to the Jesolo Cup in Italy earlier this year, Liddick said.

"I would not expect Georgia to perform anything that she has not been doing in training, so her difficulty might have to be compromised for safety," Liddick said. ‘We will make that call during the podium training."

Veterans Georgia-Rose Brown, Olivia Vivian and Mary-Anne Monckton should also challenge for top positions, Liddick said.

"Georgia's training has been one of the most consistent," Liddick said of Brown, who placed fifth all-around last year. "She is relatively healthy and I would look for her to have a good nationals."

Liddick said the 24-year-old Vivian, a 2008 Olympian, is looking strong on several apparatuses.

"(Vivian’s) beam is at a 5.9 (Difficult score), and I have recently seen a few very good performances from her on that event during training," Liddick said. "Vault and floor are not her strong points, but she does like to perform them, so she does have all-around potential."

Monckton, the 2012 all-around bronze medalist, is in good form despite a recent health scare, Liddick said.

"Just two weeks ago, Mary-Anne was rushed to the hospital for a near ruptured cyst, not gymnastics related, that had to be removed arthroscopically," Liddick said. "She is back in full training again, and I expect her to shine on beam and vault."

"Larrissa will be performing on two apparatuses, uneven bars and floor," Liddick said. "She has recently added some new skills and combinations to her bars routine, and I would expect her to vie for the bars title. Larrissa will be a contender for the floor title, as well, if she can land all her tumbles cleanly."

"Kiara could be a contender for the all-around title if she goes clean both rounds of competition," Liddick said. "Isis has been upgrading her difficulty and will be a contender for the vault title. Emma Jane has the potential on beam to be a world-class performer. I know she has had a renewed interest in her training and she hopes this will pay off at nationals. I look for Alex to burst onto the senior scene at nationals, as well, this year."

The championships will also play a strong part in determining the Australian squad that will try to win its fifth consecutive team title at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow this summer, Liddick said.

"The Commonwealth Games Association is requiring that the teams be named this early, for logistical reasons as per the Olympics," she said. "I would prefer to wait until the week of the actual competition, but we all have to follow the regulations. The national championships will be a major part of the criteria for selection, along with training camps and verification performances, international competition performances, international ranking and current health status. These are some of the important criteria that will be considered in naming the Commonwealth Games team."

As Liddick prepares to select her team for Glasgow, she is also considering its composition for this fall’s World Championships in Nanning.

"I am mindful of the world championships in October, as well," Liddick told IG. "So I will be considering the correct strategy for injured athletes staying home from the Commonwealth Games and preparing for Worlds in some cases. I have been given directives from my superiors that the team must be named directly after the finals on Sunday (May 25) at the competition. Team, medal chances and health, such as ability to train, will be the main criteria, while their latest competition results will be fresh in my mind."

International Gymnast magazine's recent coverage of Australian gymnasts includes:

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